Stirrups Under Rig

[compound]

Hi all

Does anybody know, why old timer saddles with centerfire rigging have stirrups leathers under rig?

Thanks for infos for ignorant enthusiast

Martin

Edited July 14, 2015 by compound

[Josh Ashman]

Martin,

I've run into that a few times as well and I always just figured that at sometime it was taken apart and put back together wrong. I always just reroute the leather to the front of the rigging and move on.

Maybe somebody else has more insight to it.

Have a good day!

Josh

[compound]

I think, must be some real reason. I saw it on few old saddles on shops, collections and books............for better rider´s stabilily?..

[oltoot]

If I understand the question the answer is a matter of balance and keeping your feet from getting behind you at all cost. Balance: Think about it. The most stable position for standing up is straight up not leaning forward or backwards. Feet behind equals loss of balance and minimizes chances of recovery. Think bull riding. In the good old bygone riding horses always exposed one to the distinct possibility of encountering more than one that was a little bit salty. Keeping feet down and head up was essential if one were to survive. Lots of things have changed such as horse conformation and thus best rigging placement, saddle tree design etc but those basic principals of physics and kinetics remain. They now translate into different solutions. Somebody once told me with regard to old cowboys that old wasn't necessarily better it was just old. I don't think he was complimenting me but I just grinned. And now I'm really old.

Edited July 16, 2015 by oltoot

[horsewreck]

Oltoot has it about right. Back in the day, makers of 3/4 and 7/8 riggings would run the stirrup leather up over the tree then down through ring on the rigging. This did bind the stirrup in a forward position. If one rode a lot of open flat country this could feel comfortable to the rider. In hills and mountains this setup made riding difficult. By the early 1940's the practice of running leathers through the rigging was being abandon in favor of the free swinging style with both pieces passing in front of the rigging.